If you're in Russia, forget ordering a French Bordeaux or a California Merlot with your dinner. Try the Usadba Divnomorskoye instead, Russia's most popular wine these days. A collapsing ruble and US and EU embargoes on products to Russia have made foreign wines too expensive.

When Russia moved into Crimea last year, even NATO admits it was caught off-guard. But now a top NATO general says the West is alert to Putin's plans, and is developing its own moves to stop him from expanding any further.

Now that Vladimir Putin is back in the public eye, Russia observers can turn their attention back to figuring out who exactly killed opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. But even that isn't the only question surrounding the Kremlin at the moment.

Zhanna Nemtsova, the 30-year old daughter of murdered Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, is pointing the finger at the Russian government for the death of her father. But hopes that his killing may unite Russia's opposition seem faint.

Russian dignitaries, including the widow of former President Boris Yeltsin, turned out on Tuesday to mourn murdered activist Boris Nemtsov. They were joined by many ordinary citizens, who seem to be ready for a larger movement in the wake of Nemtsov's death.

Ukraine's latest easefire is finally holding, but the US warns that pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine are likely to resume the war in the spring. And in the meantime, Ukraine is suffering from the same economic woes as Russia as oil prices plummet.

A new drug called spice is only the latest in a series of synthetic drugs that have flooded the Russian market over the years. Offering a cheap and readily available high, Russian health experts are trying to keep kids away, but keeping up with drug dealers is proving difficult.

The "Anti-Maidan" rally in Moscow marked one year since a pro-Western uprising in Kiev's Maidan Square toppled Ukraine's president. But the attendees have a far different view of everything that's happened since then, and they're not afraid to say it.

If you've ever wanted Vladimir Putin propaganda plastered across your chest as you walk the streets of New York, here's your chance. A pop-up store recently opened in the city, selling shirts showing the Russian president as Superman and other heroes.

When Russia moved into Crimea last year, even NATO admits it was caught off-guard. But now a top NATO general says the West is alert to Putin's plans, and is developing its own moves to stop him from expanding any further.

The Soviet Union sacrificed a lot during World War II. Millions of Russians died, more than from any other country. And for them, the D-Day invasions were an answer to their appeals to the West to relieve pressure on the Soviet forces who were battling the Nazis.

Imagine the foes of fracking and you'd probably put Greenpeace at the top of the list. But add Vladimir Putin too — someone who rarely sees eye-to-eye with the environmentalists. But he has his own reasons, not tied to saving the Earth. Meanwhile, there's tension over US military actions in Iraq. Those stories and more in today's Global Scan.

There was something of a diplomatic bright spot on Thursday, when representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the EU and the US agreed on steps to take to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine. But the crisis is a long way from over and one expert says there's still a great deal of danger ahead.

You think it's dark and cold on the shortest day of the year? Imagine what it's like in Russia — which is almost entirely above the 49th parallel that makes up the majority of the continental US' northern border — where they just got rid of daylight savings.

It is the largest ancient burial site in Greece and, just a month after its announcement, it has brought new life to two small villages 60 miles east of Thessaloniki. But who was important enough to be buried there? Meanwhile in India, when some families are planning a wedding, the first to-do is to hire a marriage detective. And Russian President Putin decides to intervene in a children's show, all in today's Global Scan.

When Russia moved into Crimea last year, even NATO admits it was caught off-guard. But now a top NATO general says the West is alert to Putin's plans, and is developing its own moves to stop him from expanding any further.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sits at the top of a power structure he helped create. But it wasn't always this way. He was once an unemployed KGB agent looking for a job. He proved a master at upward mobility.

Russia chose the snow leopard as the mascot for the Winter Olympics in Sochi — but there are only roughly 40 of the creatures left in the wild in Russia. As a species, the snow leopard is threatened with extinction, but there have been positive signs recently that the creatures may survive.

Zhanna Nemtsova, the 30-year old daughter of murdered Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, is pointing the finger at the Russian government for the death of her father. But hopes that his killing may unite Russia's opposition seem faint.

With the ruble tanking and the US moving to aid Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has fewer and fewer good options to shore up his country's position. And that may end in an even bigger crisis than the current one.